Splendors of Egypt plus Jordan

Day 2: Amman – Cairo Arrival at Amman airport, connecting with the Royal Jordanian flight that leaves for Cairo, arrival, reception and transfer to your hotel. Dinner and overnight in Cairo. S

Day 3: The Cairo of the PharaohsBreakfast at the hotel. Departure for a day of discovery of Memphis; first caital of the former empire (28-23 century BC) and Sakkara with the first step pyramid in the world built for King Djoser by the architect Imhotep. Lunch in a local restaurant. Continue to visit the Pyramids of Giza guarded by the Sphinx ( the Pyramid of Cheops is classified as one of seven wonders of the world). Optional ($): Show to admire the Sound & Lights at the Pyramids. Souper and overnight in Cairo. B/L/D

Day 5 : Alexandria Breakfast at the hotel. Visit the Roman Theater, the Catacombs, the Montazah Garden, the Alexandria Library including dinner. Supper. Night in Alexandria. B / L/ D

Day 6: Alexandria -Cairo Breakfast at the hotel. Back to Cairo. Dinner and overnight in Cairo. B / D / S

Day 7: Cairo – Louxor Breakfast. Transfer to Cairo airport to catch your flight to Luxor. Arrival, reception. Departure for the visit of the eastern bank of the Nile (the city of the living): the temple of Luxor and the temple of Karnak (dedicated to the God of the Gods: Amon). Boarding on the boat. Night on board. B / L / D. (All meals, shows and tours are included in the cruise).

Jour 8: Louxor – Esna – Edfou

Visit of the west bank, the Necropolis of Thebes, the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, the temple of Queen Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon: (guardians of the funeral site). Navigation to Esna to cross the locks. Continue to Edfu. Dinner and night on board. B / L / D.

Jour 9: Edfou – Kom Ombo Visit the temple of Edfou dedicated to the God Horus, the great God of the sky or the lord of Heaven, one of the most imposing temples of Upper Egypt. It was buried under sand, was cleared in 1880 by archaeologist Mariette (founder of the Cairo Museum). Navigation to Kom Ombo. Visit the temples of Sobek & Haroeris. Navigation to Aswan. Night on board. B / L / D.

Day 10: Assouan

Visit the High Dam of Aswan considered a tecnhological miracle, visit the unfinished Obelisk 41 meter high and the temple of Philae also saved water and dedicated to the goddest Isis. Felucca walk around Elephantine Island and visit the Botanical Garden. Dinner and overnight on board. B/L/D.

Day 11: Assouan – Louxor

Landing. Optional ($) departure for the visit of the Temple of Abou Simbel, Ramses II and his wife Nefertari. Departure to Kucor. Dinner and overnight in Luxor B/D.

Day 12: Louxor – Hurghada (Red Sea) Breakfast at the hotel. Transfet to Hurghada ( about 4hrs drive). Accommodation in your hotel located directly on the beach. Dinner and overnight in Hurghada. B/D

Day 13: Hurghada Breakfast at the hotel. Free day tp enjoy the beach and aquatic activities ($). Dinner and overnight at the hotel. B/D

Jour 14: Hurghada – Islamic Cairo and the Bazaar

Breakfast at the hotel. Guided tour of the Egyptian Museum (more than 250 000 works on display and possibility of admiring the mummies room, visit of the Citadel, forteress built in 1183 and the famous alabaster mosque Mohamed Ali ( 1830), continuation to visit the Khan El Khalili Bazaar, one of the largest market in the Middle East, lunch included in a local restaurant. Dinner and overnight in Cairo B/L/D

Day 15: Cairo- Amman Breakfast. Transfert to Cairo airport for flight to Amman. Arrival, reception and transfert to your hotel in Amman. Dinner and overnight in Amman. B/D

Day16: Amman – Jerash – Ajlun – Amman Breakfast. Departure 48 km north of Amman to visit Jerash, the most beautiful and best preserved of all Roman cities. Considered one of the best-preserved Roman provincial cities in the world, Jerash is the country’s second largest tourist destination after Petra. This city was part of the decapolis, much of which still exists today. Excavations have led to two theaters, an elliptical-shaped forum, several temples and churches, a market and baths, the Cardo Maximus, a 600-meter alley lined with columns. Lunch in local restaurant in Jerash. Road to Ajlun located in the north of the country for the visit of Ajlun Castle (Qal’at Ar-Rabad). The castle of Ajlun is a perfect example of the medieval genius of Arab and military architecture. The castle was built by General Saladin in 1184 AD to control the Ajlun steel mines and curb the Crusaders’ progress. Dinner at night at Amman Hotel. B / L/ D

Day 17: Amman – Madaba – Mt Nebo – Route des Rois – Kerak – Petra (310 km) Breakfast. Departure south to Madaba, home of the most famous Byzantine mosaics, and visit the Greek Orthodox Church where is the famous map of the holy land dating from the 6th century. The map of Madaba (or map of Palestine) was exhumed in 1898 during the construction of the St. George Church, Greek Orthodox rite. Continuation to Mt. Nebo with its spectacular view of the holy land. Nebo, which rises to an altitude of 840 m, rises 10 km northwest of Madaba. It has become a place of universal pilgrimage since the beginning of the Christian era. Route via Wadi Mujib and the King’s Road for a visit to Kerak Crusader Castle dating back to the 12th century. Dinner at a local restaurant in Kerak. Continue to Petra. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Petra. B / L/ D

Day 18: PetraBreakfast. Petra- stone in Greek or sala in Nabataean- takes its name fromt the pink and soft sandstone that is used as material for the hundreds of tombs and temples dug in the rock by the Nabataens. People of Arab origin, they founded one of the most beautiful civilizations that dominated Transjordan in the 7th century BC. Petra, at the crossroads of roads connecting Aribia, Egypt, Syria and Palestine, became a very important transit point. Deserted at the end of the Byzantine era, the lost city was only found in 1812 by the Swiss traveler Burckhardt. In theory it will take a week to visit the intire site. A day will however be enough to appreciate all the beauty of the main monuments and their magnificient facades concentrated in the central Siq and the surrounding mountains. You will undoubtedly be quickly conquered by the majesty of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. The variations of the light, the erosion combinations of colors which contribute to give all its singularity to Petra. Lunch on the site. Dinner and overnight in Petra. B/L/D.

Day 19: Petra – Wadi Rum – Wadi Araba – Amman (490 km)

Breakfast. Departure for Wadi Rum, ” the valley of the moon” a unique place where you will live a unique experience. You will explore this splendid desert aboard the Bedouin Pickup (6 people per jeep) driven by the Bedouins of the site time of a tour of 02 hrs. You will discover the clues of the past carved on the mountains and the rocks, testimonys of the civilizations which succeeded each other in this part of Jordan. Lunchat Wadi Rum Resthouse. In the early afternoon, return to Amman via the desert road. Dinner and overnight in Amman. B/L/D. Ability to extend to Aquaba, on the bank of the Red Sea.

Day 20: Amman – Um Queis – Pella – Jordan Valley – Dead Sea – Amman

Breakfast. Road to Um Qeis, a village located at the northwestern tip of Jordan, on the site of ancient Gadara. Visit this ancient Greco-Roman city overlooking the Jordan Valley, from which you can easily see the lake of Tiberias and, a little futher east, beyond the Yarmouk river, the famous plateau Golan ( in Syria). Lunch in the local restaurant.

Departure via the Jordan Valley to Pella – Fahl in Arabic – a name that dates back to 4,000 years, a period of great prosperity in the history of the city. The city was a member of the Decapolis founded by Alexander the Great. Continiation of the Dead Sea, the lowest point of land located 400 meters below sea level. Bathing in The Dead Sea is a unique experience. The main attraction at the Dead Sea is salt waterm, hot and calm- rich in mineral salts. Time to swim and relax in the salt water of the Dead Sea. Dinner and overnight in Amman. B/L/D.

Day 21- Amman – Desert Castle – Amman (260 km) Breakfast. Visit the ancient and current capital of Jordan, Amman, built on seven hills. Discovery of the Citadel, located on one of the highest hills of the capital with the Archeology Museum. Visit of the Roman Theater, Museum of Folklore. Departure to the desert east for the visit of the Desert Castles: Qasr Al-Azraq, Qasr Al Kharraneh, Qasr Amra, hunting lodges, with various architectural styles, which were built by the Umayyad Caliphs of Damascus in the 8th century. Lunch at a local restaurant in Azraq. Dinner and overnight in Amman. B / L / D